Feral
by Solora Goldsun
Summary: The White Fang has been working on a secret project headed by Adam Taurus to create a new breed of warrior to fight for their cause. The result: Team FRAL, an all-Faunus team enhanced by Dust, chemicals, and genetic manipulation. They were bred and trained to hunt Grimm, humans, and Faunus traitors. Their first target: Team RWBY.
1. Prologue 1: Fear

**Okay, folks. This thing has been in the works for quite some time. I think it's finally ready to hit the internet. I don't usually do OC fics, but I feel that the world of RWBY is one that is practically made for OCs. Also, these may be some of the most developed OCs I've ever made, and that's saying something! The story will focus mostly on the canon characters for a few chapters, so I thought I'd start off with four Prologues, similar to the four trailers for the series, so that people will get a good sense of Team FRAL before their first encounter with Team RWBY and the others. These will not be in any chronological order.**

**Side note: A morning star is a spiked mace. Enjoy!**

Fear

The scent of Dust and tension permeated the air. Grinning widely, the wolf Faunus ran a tongue over his sharpened teeth. His amber eyes were narrow beneath the Grimm mask that obscured the top of his face. Gray ears flattened instinctively as the gates creaked open. The only other sound was a tail wagging eagerly against the ground. A black White Fang uniform cloaked the rest of his form, allowing him to blend into the night.

_Fell. Calm._ The command echoed in Fell's head, cutting through his eagerness to begin. He took a deep breath and nodded, sending mental reassurance to his leader.

_Command. Ready, _he replied.

After a few moments, he heard in his mind: _Fell. Attack. Distract._

Immediately, the wolf jumped from his hiding place in the bushes and bounded on all fours toward the gates. The human only had a moment to scream before he was borne to the ground, head cracking against the pavement.

_Distract!_

Throwing back his head, the gray Faunus let out a long, haunting howl that echoed across the pavement and off of the nearby building. Lights flashed on as he drew his weapon: a large, heavy, silver morning star named Ragnarok. He licked his lips as he jumped out of the way of the first round of ammo. His keen eyes caught the source of the barrage and his legs carried him rapidly toward it. He zigzagged left and right as more bullets hailed on the asphalt around him.

In a moment, he saw the human. He saw the face of an adult change from anger to fear as he drew closer.

Holding Ragnarok tightly, Fell swung the heavy weapon at the guard's arm, which made a satisfying snapping noise on contact. The man screamed in agony and fell to his knees.

Sudden pain in his shoulder caused the Faunus to spin around, snarling in annoyance. More human guards were rushing toward him. He could hear them coming from all sides. He leaped into the air, dodging their attacks, before activating his Aura. A silver glow surrounded him. At the same time, the Aura of his opponents became visible.

Sucking in a deep breath, he extended his Aura until he could feel the energies of his opponents leaving their bodies and melding with him. He heard a series of groans as twenty or so people fell to their knees, completely drained.

As he devoured the Auras of his enemies, he felt his excitement increase tenfold. He barely heard the next command that echoed through his head: _Fell. Door. Path._

Obediently, he turned and bounded in the direction of the door. He could see his teammates fighting off guards while his leader was focusing intently on the lock. As he drew closer, he saw smoke rising from the door, which let out a hissing click before opening.

Taking Ragnarok, he twisted the hilt, causing the spiked end to elongate and widen until he was holding a three-foot long bazooka. He pressed the trigger that came out of the hilt, sending a ball of flames cutting through the swarms of humans, scattering their unconscious bodies across the ground.

His leader opened the door and pointed inside.

_Fell. Stairs. Path._

With a growl of acknowledgement, he returned Ragnarok to its morning star form on his back, slipped through the door, and ran toward where the stairways were. The maps he had been shown during briefing appeared in his mind's eye, reinforced by the images transmitted from his leader. He was nearing the stairs just as the scent of a new human entered his nostrils

Then, something came up behind him, grabbed him around the middle, and stuck a Taser right into his side.

A wholly inhuman roar erupted from him as he swung around, mouth open, fangs glistening. Then, they sank into the flesh of the guard's arm and his mind went blank.

A red haze settled over his brain, over his vision. All he felt was the warmth pulsing from the struggling guard and into his mouth. The Taser was little more than an annoying tingle in his side as he bit down, tearing the guard's flesh right from his arm.

It was good. Good blood. Good meat. Fell swallowed ravenously, advancing on the man, who was now curled up on the floor. The sight disgusted the wolf Faunus. Pathetic prey!

Pain in his arm caused him to turn, snarling angrily at the interruption. Another human stood on the stairs, aiming a gun at him. How dare the prey try fighting back?! His weapon forgotten on his back, Fell shot forward on all fours, pouncing on the human and slashing mercilessly at his chest with his sharp claws. He bit down on the guard's shoulder, eating another morsel before rushing up the stairs, already sensing the upcoming attack from the other guards.

As he rushed from human to human, slashing and biting anything that moved, he was faintly aware of a sound in the back of his mind. It was annoyingly persistent, but he pushed it aside. He hungered. He needed more!

He looked around, sniffing the air. There were no new guards. Good. This would allow him to feed on the twitching forms he had left behind. He turned toward the nearest one, opening his mouth to take another bite. He relished the whimpering noise the human made as he crouched down.

_Fell!_

Fell pawed angrily at one of his wolf ears, trying to get the voice to go away. He was busy. He needed to-

_Fell! Stop!_

Though he tried to resist, his leader's voice quickly overpowered his hunger and he obediently backed away, his ears flattening submissively, his eyes closing.

He heard his team walking slowly down the hallway. His leader broke into a run when she noticed him on the floor. He felt her kneeling in front of him. Her shock and fear washed over him like a trembling shroud, pushing the last traces of rage from his body. What had he been so angry about?

After a moment, she whispered in a tremulous voice: "Fell…what did you do?!"

Fell opened his eyes, locking them with the brown, vulpine ones that hid behind his leader's mask. He blinked at her before the salty tang in his mouth made itself known. He licked his lips before his eyes fell on the twitching bodies scattered throughout the hallway.

_No!_ He jumped back, digging his claws into the stone ground. _What happened?! How? Why?_ He couldn't remember the past few minutes at all! Wordlessly, his leader confirmed what he had done.

That fullness in his stomach… Had he…? Had he really…?

Bile rose in Fell's throat and he hacked loudly to the side before his past few bloody minutes spilled from his mouth. The stench was horrible, and he staggered away as the last few bits of raw meat splattered on the floor. After a few more dry retches, he collapsed on his side.

As blackness clouded his vision, he felt his leader's arms wrap around him, heard one of his teammates' voices saying: "You know, we _could_ use the blood…" He couldn't tell whose it was. He was already too far gone.

The taste of human blood and vomit would be the first thing on his mind when next he woke.

**Like in the RWBY-verse, the members of Team FRAL are loosely based off of different fictional characters. Fell is based on the wolf Fenrir from Norse mythology. If you were confused by the mental communication, don't worry. That will be explained in the next chapter. Please review! Reviews make me happy. Praise Monty and peace out!**


	2. Prologue 2: Reason

**Aaand, here's the second prologue. This one takes place a few years prior to the first one and doesn't have any fight scenes. As I said before, there will be no real order where the prologues are concerned. Hope you enjoy!**

Reason

Sterile hallways perpetually echoed with the screams of a young, preteen girl. They were screams of pain from the very depths of the body and mind, screams that would wrench the hearts of all but the cruelest individuals. Many of the masked White Fang grunts exchanged looks of disgust when their superiors weren't looking before turning away and trying to convince themselves that they were still serving a greater good.

The tall, bull-horned Faunus was impassive as he walked toward the room from which the deafening shrieks came. His brow wrinkled with what could have been either concern or annoyance, but that was the only reaction he showed.

The burly, tattooed White Fang lieutenant opened the door to a cushioned room, allowing the bull Faunus entry. Writhing on the suffocating ground was a small, fox-tailed Faunus. Her shoulder-length auburn hair was plastered to her face and her brown vulpine eyes were wide with terror.

Through her blurred vision, she could discern the opening of the door and the emergence of a familiar, tall man in a scary mask. His thoughts were different from those of the guards and doctors. They were darker, sadistic, and horrifying. They were filled with suffering humans.

It hurt to hear them, though not as much as the lieutenant's twisted thoughts. Those had been the thoughts that caused her to scream in agony for the past hour. He had been too close. He was still too close!

"Go away!" She shouted, kicking uselessly at the air as another lightning bolt of agony shot through her head.

It was the Dust. The Dust covered her brain, scratching the soft tissue. It coated her skull, weathering away at bone with each thought, with each movement. It swam in her blood, burning and freezing and shocking and biting. The scar on the right side of her head, where the needles and drills had gone, throbbed constantly.

The padding of the room was ripped, burnt, frozen, and scorched from her more violent episodes. The elements hurt. The angry thoughts of those who held her hurt even more. She was afraid of their thoughts. They all wondered when she would be ready for battle, how she would be used, if she would die before the experiments could get off the ground. Would Project Feral fail?

Project Feral.

Feral.

She knew that word. It meant wild, ferocious, brutal. These were the thoughts she heard. These were the thoughts she didn't want to hear. She yearned for the silence that had existed before.

What was before? She had memories of a town, a school, and a family, but the Dust interfered with these thoughts more and more with each passing day. The Dust, and the thoughts of others.

The tall man was going to do something with her. It didn't feel like something overly bad, like another injection. Would he make the pain go away? There was very little compassion in him, but there was practicality. Surely, he knew that a tortured subject couldn't further whatever goals he had, right?

Looking down at her, the tall man said: "Pick her up."

The fox girl was lifted by her two guards, one holding each arm. She honed in on their thoughts. Theirs were kinder than others. Theirs were at least sympathetic.

_Poor kid. I hope this helps._

_Never stooped this low…what good will this do?_

_At least she has her head, unlike that idiot boy. They're not going to put her with him, right?_

Idiot boy? What boy? What were they going to do to her? Her brain started to coat itself with ice and she sobbed loudly at the sensation. "Make it stop!" She begged. "Get it out! Please make it go away!"

The tall man turned to look at her. Their eyes locked and a sense of command and authority as sharp and hard as a lance shot through the girl's brain, stunning her into silence. The pain blinded her for a full minute.

When the haze cleared and her vision returned, she was in another, larger padded cell. Huge chunks of material had been ripped from the walls and there were claw marks on the floors. Were they pitting her against a Grimm?!

Her blood froze as she heard a growl behind her. She sensed the guards and the tall man outside, watching. Their thoughts of combined anger, pity, and impatience buzzed like wasps and she whimpered, curling into a ball.

She was barely aware when the growling came to a sudden halt. She hardly felt the warm hand that touched her shoulder. She did, however, hear a thought. This wasn't like the others. It was pure, gentle, and innocent. It didn't hurt. She latched onto it, feeling some of the pain fading instantly.

_Won't hurt. No cry, girl. Headache much bad? Hide from Adam? Why? Adam good._

Slowly, she opened her eyes to look at the source of the thought. Crouching over her was a boy maybe a year or two older than her. His hair was as silver as a spent storm cloud, as were his wolf ears. He had bright amber eyes and his mouth, which was slightly open, held sharp fangs. The hand on her shoulder had long, claw-like nails. As she sat up, she also noticed a bushy tail swishing back and forth irritably.

"Who are you?" She asked, still determined to focus on his kind, not painful thoughts.

The boy's ears flicked. _Name ask. What called? Fell. Adam says Fell. No other word. Gives me cookies when good. "Good Fell," he says. Fell means me. How to say to nice girl?_

"You don't have to." The girl said. "I can read your thoughts. Can you not speak?"

The boy, Fell, shook his head. _No speak like others. Wild animal. Growl noise. No words for animals._ He leaned close to sniff her hair. His warm breath soothed her feverish skin. _Name you? Can't say, but think. What means you to think?_

"My name…" She tried to remember. With her mind healed from Fell's gentle thoughts, she was able to think relatively clearly. A name surfaced in her head, and she knew that it was hers as soon as she thought it. "My name is Reyna Blaze."

Reyna felt a sense of approval from Fell. _Nice name. Pretty name._

"Thank you." The fox Faunus smiled before tensing as the tall man and the lieutenant came up behind her. She shifted until she was pressed against Fell's side. The lieutenant's thoughts became even harsher with his close proximity! Images of humans being torn to bits by a chainsaw caused her to tremble and whimper.

The boy tensed and let out a snarl, his ears flattening. He bared his teeth at the White Fang lieutenant, causing him to back away quickly. Reyna sensed an overwhelming sense of protectiveness toward her emanating from the wolf Faunus beside her. It was comforting, comforting enough to give her the courage to look the tall man in the face.

She was able to sense a name: Adam Taurus.

Adam's approach caused something to change in Fell. Immediately, his wolfish ears flattened and he bowed his head submissively. Reyna frowned, watching the man closely. She could sense a disturbing eagerness when she looked at him.

Adam nodded once in satisfaction before glancing over his shoulder. "See? Keeping them in isolation was the problem. Continue with the project. Introduce the other two as soon as they're ready."

Other two… Reyna saw a blurred image of two figures chained to metal beds before the pain started and she had to focus on Fell once again.

Once the tall man was gone, the lieutenant approached, stopping a few feet away. Reyna could now sense that, despite his obvious strength, he was a little afraid of them. That made her feel a little better.

"It's time to get acquainted, you two. You are going to be working together a lot in the future. You may not realize it now, but this moment marks the beginning of a new age for the White Fang. Be proud of the part you will soon play." Nodding courteously, he quickly turned around and walked out of the room, closing the door behind him.

In the dim light, Reyna looked at Fell. "Battles are in their minds. They have been for some time. I think they want to make us into weapons."

Fell's ears flattened further and he let out a puppy-like whimper. _Fight battles? Hurt? Die?_

Reyna wrapped her arms around her new friend's shoulders. She could feel a definite fragility in his mind. His was one that could break easily, like hers. "We won't die, Fell. I'll make sure of it."

**Reyna's inspiration comes from Reynard the Fox, a character who appears in many European fables. Like Reynard, Reyna relies heavily on her intellect. Don't worry, though. She also has a kick-ass weapon, which you will see later on. Please review, but don't flame. Flames give Reyna horrible headaches, and she's suffering enough already.**

**Praise Monty and peace out!**


	3. Prologue 3: Anger

**It's strange. I initially thought that this prologue would be the hardest to write, but it turned out to be the easiest so far. Like Reyna's chapter, there's no weapon included, as it shows an earlier stage of this character's life. I hope you enjoy it!**

Anger

Aster Seraph was only half Faunus. His father was a bat Faunus while his mother was a human. They lived in a relatively seedy part of town, his father making less than minimum wage at the Schnee Dust Company, his mother unable to find a good job in town. Aster would always try to help, secretly skipping lunch and putting his lunch money into a jar to help pay for necessities.

Despite being only half Faunus, Aster stood out more than most full Faunus on account of the large wings that were attached to his arms and sides. It was necessary for him to constantly wear open, loose shirts to keep them from getting caught on something or ripping.

Bullies were a constant problem. If he wasn't suffering on account of his wings, he was mocked for being a "half-breed".

He would often come home covered with cuts and bruises. His mother would try calling the school, which of course did nothing. Afterward, she would make cookies and hold him on her lap, telling him over and over again what a wonderful young man he would become. His father would come home only briefly before storming out the door to confront the parents of his son's tormentors. As a result, both Seraph men were often covered in injuries. The bullying didn't stop, but Aster appreciated the effort.

Overall, his only solace came from his family.

This became especially true when his little sister, Sonora, was born. She was a beautiful child with large, bat-like ears, similar to her father's. Aster would often pick her up and wrap her in his wings when she cried. She, above all, kept him from losing his mind. Her innocent smile would always tell him that, no matter what he was to anyone else, he was her big brother. She would always love and trust him, and he would always love her.

All had been tolerable until the humans set fire to his home.

Aster was ten years old when he came home from school that day, when he saw the smoke rising from his house, heard the racist taunts of the people around him.

"Half-breeds!" someone shouted.

"Flying rats!" cried another.

Tears blurring his vision, Aster rushed to the house. He threw open the door, jumping back a little at the rush of hot air that buffeted his face. Gritting his teeth, he ran inside. He couldn't hear his parents, but he could hear Sonora's piercing cries. He crawled through the house, determined to find her.

On the way, he saw two charred bodies lying near the entrance to the burning living room. Fighting back a sob, he approached. He recognized the shape of his father's ears and backed away, shaking his head to clear it. He bit his lip and pushed the sight from his mind as he turned down the next hallway. There was nothing he could do for his parents now. He had to save his sister!

He saw to his horror that her crib was on fire. He rushed to her side, picking her up and wrapping her wings around her before bolting toward the door. Outside, he collapsed on his side, coughing uncontrollably, his face and arms scorched and burned.

Ugly shouts were ringing all around. He needed to find a policeman! Why weren't there any fire trucks on the scene yet?!

Loud footsteps sounded before Aster was picked up by the back of his shirt, causing a now-silent Sonora to roll onto the ground. A large, burly human sneered at him, and Aster recognized the father of one of his schoolyard tormentors. "Looks like we missed a few rodents, boys! How 'bout hanging this one from the attic?"

Aster's eyes narrowed as he looked down at his sister's motionless body. Rage such as he had never known before surged through him. "NO!" He clenched his fists, activating his Aura for the first time in his life. In an instant, he was dropped to the ground. He looked up just in time to see the human holding a smoking hand to his chest before his vision was blocked.

A tall, cloaked man in a scary mask was standing between him and the mob. He heard the click of a rifle and the _shink_ of a sword being drawn, and that was his only warning before he saw a dozen humans mowed down within seconds.

As blood covered the streets, he picked up Sonora's body, holding it to his chest, staring wide-eyed at the cloaked man. After a few moments, all was quiet.

The man kneeled in front of Aster. Bull horns jutted from his brown and red hair. He touched his fingers to Sonora's neck before shaking his head. "I'm sorry. There's nothing that can be done for her."

Aster's lip trembled, his earlier moment of burning anger forgotten. "Th-They're dead. They killed them…" He stared at the shadowy forms of the dead humans. "Why?"

"That's what they do." The bull Faunus's voice was harsh, but held the smallest degree of sympathy.

The young boy sniffed loudly, hugging his dead sister tightly. "I'm sorry, Sonora. I'm so sorry."

After a few minutes, the bull man stood and placed a hand on Aster's shoulder. "Come with me. We'll bury your sister in a nice spot. Then, we can talk."

"About what?" Aster tried to stand, but his knees were shaking too much. He whimpered. "I…I can't-" He was cut off as the tall man stooped down and picked him up. He curled against his savior's chest and closed his eyes, trying to ignore how much his skin hurt.

"We'll talk about what to do with you," the man said matter-of-factly. "If you wish, you could help the people I work with. I am a member of the White Fang. We protect our fellow Faunus from humans who would take advantage of, or hurt them."

"Y-You mean like the ones who…who k-killed…" Aster couldn't finish the thought and started sobbing again.

"Yes," the man replied, his tone not changing even in the face of the boy's cries. "All humans."

At this, Aster frowned through his tears. "My mom was human!"

"And look at what happened to her." The man shook his head. "Humans are evil. The few good ones are doomed to be victimized and killed. The Faunus are the only hope for a peaceful world."

Aster pondered these words for a moment before fatigue caused his eyes to droop shut. He sobbed softly in his sleep, his sister's body a constant weight on his chest.

The following day, he buried Sonora. The man, who had introduced himself as Adam Taurus, waited patiently as the boy knelt over the makeshift grave. It was under an oak tree where Aster would often climb to escape his bullies. He imagined how they would react to finding out that their parents had been killed by the White Fang.

A small flash of pity rose in Aster before he quickly quashed it. _It serves them right!_ he thought, narrowing his eyes, placing a hand on the mound of dirt. _If they hadn't bullied me, if their families hadn't been bullies, everyone would be alive. It serves them right!_

He stood up, clenching his fists. "I won't let this happen again, Sonora. Mom. Dad," he said aloud. "No more Faunus families will suffer if I can do something about it." Squaring his shoulders, he turned to look at Adam, who was watching him expectantly.

"So, do you wish to come with me?"

Aster folded his arms, ignoring the burns. "Will you train me to kill the bad humans, like how you killed them last night?"

Adam nodded. "Yes, I will."

Taking a deep breath, Aster glanced one more time at his sister's grave before turning resolutely away and looking Adam directly in the face. "In that case, yes. I want to join the White Fang!"

**Aster is based on the Archangel Michael. I look forward to showing him in battle, especially considering the enhancements he gets from the White Fang. What are they? Well, you'll have to wait and see! Review but don't flame. Aster wouldn't like any more fire in his life right now.**

**Praise Monty and peace out!**


	4. Prologue 4: Languor

**And, here's the fourth and last Prologue. In case you were wondering the chronological order of them, Aster's prologue is first, then Reyna's, then Leandra's, then Fell's. Also, I realize that I neglected to mention Team FRAL's symbols. Fell's symbol is three silver clawmarks going diagonally across a black surface. Reyna's is a narrowed black eye on a russet background. Aster's is a golden ring on a black surface. Leandra's is a half-eclipsed black sun on a brown surface. Just some info for you. You'll see everyone's weapons eventually. Enjoy!**

Languor

For thirteen year old Leandra Griffin, everything was a haze. That was the only way she could survive. It was the only way she could retain what small amount of sanity was left.

Her black hair stuck to her neck, which was slick with sweat and blood. Thin lacerations covered her arms. Old scars sat beneath her drenched shirt. A black cat tail twitched slightly, as if aware that it would not be a part of her body for much longer.

The Lieutenant looked down at her, though that was not what she called him. To her, he was "Master". That had been one of the first lessons. That had been etched into her pale skin years ago, when her disobedience toward Adam had required extreme measures to be taken.

She was the best fit for the project. She was the perfect age. She had the right physical qualities for what would happen to her.

"Are you going to behave, now?" The deep voice of her master caused her to curl into a ball and cringe.

"Y-Yes, Master," she whimpered. She was aware of her assigned partner next to her. His brows were furrowed with concern and a trace of anger, but he made no move to stop the Lieutenant.

"It's for the greater good, Leandra," he would tell her when she curled up on her bed, skin burning from the Master's obedience-inducing methods. "We're going to be heroes. The world will be a better place because of us. Just learn to trust them, and it'll be okay." He would then wrap her in his leathery bat wings and hold her while she cried.

Those wings… Leandra chanced a glance at those beautiful wings on Aster's arms. They would be gone soon, just like her tail. She trembled at the thought.

She had been good for the past few weeks. The Master had been pleased. Adam had also been pleased. He stopped by the room she shared with Aster and gave her some cookies as a reward. Things had been better, just as her partner had promised.

However, news of what was about to happen to her had caused her to regress. She felt that old fear and rebelliousness from her first days, from when her mother had willingly handed her over to "Project Feral". "Avenge your father!" she had said. Leandra hadn't seen her since.

The Master beat her harshly for returning to her "old bad habits". She had almost forgotten how painful that whip was. At least he never used the chainsaw… Staring up at him, Leandra barely kept a tear from escaping her eye.

"Good," the Master nodded. It was impossible to see his expression behind his mask. "It's good that we understand each other. Now, Aster."

Aster stood up straight, his fists clenched at his sides. "Yes, sir?"

"Lie down on the table to the right." The Lieutenant pointed to one of two surgical tables. There were medical supplies, Dust vials, and metal capsules containing who knows what scattered around them. The tables had strong, leather straps on them.

Obediently, Aster moved to the table and stretched out on it, his muscles completely relaxed. Leandra stared wide-eyed as the straps were fastened to her partner's arms, legs, and torso. A mask connected to a large machine was put to his face and his eyes closed.

"Leandra."

Leandra flinched and started to move back before forcing herself to stop. Trying to run would only make things worse. "Yes, Master?" she whispered, proud that she was at least able to keep from stuttering.

Her master pointed toward the other table. "Get on."

Trembling all over, she stood and started to slowly walk toward it. The crack of a familiar whip caused her to jump and quickly run over, lying down as Aster had done. She bit her lip as the straps were fastened. She wanted to ask if she'd be okay, but knew that she would get no reassuring words. So, instead, she kept silent as the mask was put to her face. She breathed in a strange-tasting gas and everything went black.

…..

Leandra stood in front of a full-length mirror. Her eyes were orange and slit-pupiled, with barely any white in them. She blinked experimentally, watching the clear membrane go across them. She ran a tongue across her sharp teeth and flexed her new claws. A long, black lizard's tail curled behind her. The scales touched the back of her neck as she flexed it.

Aster lay on his bed, groaning. He was on his stomach, his back bare and covered with scars. Large, brown, feathery wings flopped over the edge of the bed. His new, golden hawk eyes reflected the overhead lights. His brown hair was sticky with sweat. There were scars on his arms now, scars where his old bat wings had once been attached.

They both had scars. For some reason, that made Leandra very happy.

She looked at her arm and narrowed her eyes, focusing intently on it as Adam had told her. After a moment, her skin changed until it seemed as if she was looking through her arm and to the ground. She knew it wasn't true, that her skin was simply changing color to make itself seem invisible. Still, the sight made her smile. It made the scars vanish.

The Master and White Fang were kind, after all. They had given her a way to hide the ugly scars she had gained through her ungratefulness and disobedience. They were so merciful, so good. Why had she ever tried to fight them?

"We'll be meeting the other two today," Aster called from his bed.

Leandra turned from her reflection and tilted her head. "What will happen next?"

Aster shrugged, then winced as the action clearly caused his back to hurt. "We'll start training together, I'd imagine. Then, maybe we can finally start fighting the humans."

"I hope so." The newly-changed Faunus girl smiled. "I am eager to serve our masters."

"You've changed since the surgery," her partner noted with a strange combination of approval and worry.

"Hm…" Leandra tilted her head. "I suppose so. Now that it's over, I'm not so afraid."

The small amount of worry on Aster's face faded. "See? I told you it would get better." He winced and glanced at his back. "Hopefully, these will as well."

"They will." The lizard girl's voice was confident. "We must trust the masters."

For a moment, she felt a flicker of doubt in her mind, a slight flash of her mental state before the surgery. She remembered the vials of dust, the syringes that had been everywhere. She thought of a new scar she had found on the back of her head, which was surrounded by shaved skin, as if something had injected her there.

The door opened, jolting her from her thoughts, which faded immediately into oblivion. Adam walked in and she bowed her head.

Adam nodded in acknowledgement before beckoning for them to follow. "Come. The other half of your team is waiting. It is time for Project Feral to take its next step."

Aster let out a pained groan as he stood up, but had an eager look on his face as he approached the doorway. "I'm ready, Adam!"

Leandra nodded in agreement, curling her tail submissively as she followed her partner and faced Adam. "Lead on, sir."

**Leandra is based off of the Invisible Man. Surprised by me making these two into a lizard and a bird Faunus? This actually provided the base inspiration for this story. I had originally come up with a team including a chameleon and hawk Faunus, but realized that in canon, Faunus are likely all mammals. That's what first spawned the idea of having a genetically-modified team. The next chapter will be with the canon characters and the story will be chronological unless I state that a flashback is happening. Hope to see you guys there! Review, but don't flame.**

**Praise Monty and peace out!**


	5. You're Next!

**Hello, friends! The prologues are over and we can now get into the meat of the story. This will focus on the canon characters for a while and Team FRAL will be brought in more and more over time. A few notes: this takes place immediately after Volume 2, when Adam approaches Cinder. I don't think I'll bring Raven into this at all, as I have no current theories concerning her and I don't know how to fit her into this particular plotline. Also, even though everything through Volume 2 is canon in this story, I'm not sure about Volume 3. The most likely scenario is that I'll keep to my own canon in this story, regardless of what is revealed, unless something in Volume 3 is revealed that would make sense here. For the most part, I'll be doing my own thing. I hope you enjoy it!**

Cinder folded her arms as she regarded the intimidating Faunus standing before her. _How on earth did he manage to sneak here in _that_ getup,_ she wondered to herself. "What exactly did you have in mind, Taurus?"

Adam narrowed his eyes beneath his mask. He definitely did not like this woman's tone. Even after months of working with or around her, he disliked her and the humans who followed her. That gray-haired punk particularly irked him with that seemingly-permanent smug expression. "The attack was ruined by a very specific group of people. I will make it my goal to have them eliminated."

"Those kids?" Mercury let out a snort. "Please. It was just dumb luck. Getting them out of the way will be easy."

"Then, why haven't you done it already?" Adam shot back, his voice edged with steel. "I have heard that you have been researching one of the stronger Huntresses, so I know you aren't completely incompetent. What I want to know is why you haven't acted on the knowledge you have gathered?"

Cinder mercifully stepped in, talking over Mercury's indignant reply. "We wanted to see how much more we could learn. What we do know, of course, we will pass on to you."

Adam folded his arms and tilted his head expectantly.

"Pyrrha Nikos is a very strong fighter, but her ability to dodge blows comes mostly from her Semblance. She can control magnets." Cinder took out her scroll and brought her notes on Pyrrha up on the screen. "Here."

After looking at the notes for a moment, a smirk came to Adam's face. "If she relies as strongly on her Semblance as you say, I know just the person to kill her." He handed her back the scroll. "My team and I will take care of her, as well as the others. Then, we'll oversee what comes next."

"Your team?" Cinder tilted her head curiously. "I didn't know you had a team."

"You weren't supposed to know," Adam replied. "They only finished their training program last year. They've spent the past few months working on isolated missions in Atlas. I wanted to make sure they were stable before bringing them here."

"Stable?" Mercury raised an eyebrow. "Huh. That doesn't sound promising. Are we talking about a bunch of basket cases, here?"

Adam's glare practically burned through his mask. "There are always issues when trying…something new. If all goes well, they will be the first of many and our victory will be assured."

"Wow." Mercury snorted and folded his arms. "That told me absolutely _nothing_. I'm just gonna go with crazy until I get a clearer answer from you."

"Will you need us to fight?" Emerald asked, speaking for the first time. Her eyes were narrowed at the Faunus's obvious lack of respect for her and her teammates.

Adam gave her an appraising look before shaking his head. "No. My team is fully capable. Besides, we wouldn't want your covers to be blown."

"You'll be outnumbered, though," Emerald protested. "There are at least ten of them who work together on a regular basis, plus the professors and whoever else they pick up. How many people are on your team?"

A dry chuckle escaped Adam's throat. "Four. Trust me; they won't be outnumbered in the slightest." With a nod in Cinder's direction and a sneer in Mercury's, the bull Faunus turned and walked away, disappearing as soon as he entered the shadows.

Mercury's eye was twitching as he turned to look at Cinder. "You know, I _really_ hate that guy!"

….

The mood was tense as nine teens stood, sat, or paced in front of the closed door to the hospital room. Nora was bouncing on her heels, trying to sneak a peek in the window. Jaune stared blankly at the wall. Pyrrha placed a hand on his shoulder, her own gaze fixed on the door. The members of Team RWBY were in varying states of nervousness, Ruby being the most fidgety, as she mirrored Nora's bouncy agitation.

Weiss seemed to be the only one not paying close attention to the room: She was staring fixedly at her scroll, a dark expression on her face.

According to the call they had gotten, Ren had finally woken up. During that call, the diagnosis that he would never speak again was confirmed. His parents would be coming up within the next few days.

During the Grimm attack, there had been few injuries to the Hunters and Huntresses who fought, but there had been some. Among those was a lucky shot by an Ursa that had slashed open Ren's neck and part of his chest. It had been a miracle that he hadn't completely bled out. After days of being in critical condition, he recovered and was even likely to be able to breathe normally again after some time.

Unfortunately, his vocal chords had been irreparably damaged.

After a few more agonizing minutes, the door was opened and a nurse stepped out. "You'll have to be careful with him, but he can have visi-" Before she could even finish the sentence, Nora shot past her and to Ren's bedside.

"Ren! Are you okay? I mean, you obviously aren't completely okay, but are you better? Does your throat hurt badly?" As she spoke, Nora was frantically zipping from the side of the bed to the headboard to the other side. "Don't worry about your voice, Ren! We'll learn sign language! Or you can write stuff! Or you can mime stuff!"

As Nora neared Ren's side again, he grabbed her arm in an uncharacteristically feeble grip. When she turned to look at him, he smiled gently. His neck and chest were heavily bandaged, and the act of reaching for Nora had obviously hurt, since he was trying to hide a grimace.

Immediately, Nora felt all words leave her. A tear trickled down her cheek as she knelt next to the bed, grasping her best friend's hand.

Jaune, meanwhile, moved to the other side of Ren's bed and carefully placed a hand on his shoulder. "I'm sorry, Ren. I should've done a better job protecting you."

Ren opened his mouth as if to reply. Instead of words, a strangled cough forced its way painfully up his throat. He placed his free hand on his chest and gritted his teeth for a moment while tightening his grip on Nora's hand. After a few minutes, the pain subsided and he turned to look at Jaune, who was near tears at this point.

Keeping his mouth firmly closed this time, Ren shook his head and smiled. He reached out and touched his leader's arm, wishing desperately that he had a pen and paper.

Thankfully, Nora was quick to interpret his actions. "He's trying to say that he doesn't blame you, Jaune. I _told_ you he wouldn't!"

"None of us do," Pyrrha added, smiling comfortingly at her partner.

"Soooo…" Yang cut in, hoping to clear the mood. "Writing, sign language or miming? Which do you think you'll be doing?"

Ren responded with a deadpan look. He pulled his hand away from Nora and held it out expectantly. After a moment, Nora realized what he wanted and handed him her scroll. Bringing up a new screen, Ren typed: "I will NOT be a mime."

This message, combined with Ren's characteristic expression, caused almost everyone to burst out laughing.

The one exception was Weiss, who looked up from her scroll with a start. "Huh? What's so funny?"

Sun snickered, poking Weiss's arm with his tail. "Come back to this planet, Ice Queen!"

"Yeah, Weiss! You've been glued to your scroll all day," Ruby said, walking over to her partner. "What's up?"

Weiss irritably batted Sun's tail away before shaking her head and giving Ruby a look that clearly said "Later."

Ruby tilted her head in confusion, before nodding and quickly turning around. "So, Ren! When are you getting out of here?"

Ren frowned in Weiss's direction, but decided to let the matter drop for the time being. She probably didn't want to bring up any problems while in the room. _I may be injured, but I'm not too fragile to hear bad news…_ Breathing a sigh, he typed on Nora's scroll. "A little over a week, if I'm lucky. I won't be able to fight immediately, but we'll see what happens after."

Nora jumped up, letting out a squeak that made everyone but Ren flinch. "Ooh! Yay! I'll make pancakes!"

A vivid expression of horror came to Ren's face and he hurriedly typed out: "Keep her away from the kitchen! The entire left side of my house still has scorch marks from the last time she tried to cook!"

Nora pouted, folding her arms with a huff. "Oh, come on. That was _three years_ ago!"

Jaune winked at Ren. "_I'll_ handle the cooking. Don't worry," he whispered.

Ren raised an eyebrow, doubt written plainly on his face. _That may or may not be worse…_

…..

Ruby already knew that something was bothering Weiss, but this was further confirmed when the team entered their room and the heiress responded to Zwei's affectionate greeting with little more than a distracted pat on the head. _She's _always_ gushing over him!_

"Okay, Weiss," Ruby said, zooming to her partner's side. "You've been even frownier than usual. Time to fess up!"

Yang nodded in agreement. "Yeah, you've been acting weird all day. Did the tabloids take a bad picture of you or something?"

Blake carefully avoided Zwei as she made her way to her bed and sat down. "Has something happened that we should be concerned about?"

"First of all," Weiss said, not looking away from her scroll. "I'm not 'frowny'. Second, frowny isn't even a word. Third, I've never been in _any_ tabloids and it's ludicrous to suggest otherwise. Fourth," At this, she turned to Blake. "Yes. This is very troubling."

"What do you mean by 'very troubling'?" Blake's eyes blazed nervously. "And why didn't you tell us sooner?"

Weiss held up her hands. "Look, I'm sorry. I just thought that Team JNPR doesn't need any more stress right now. Besides, this didn't become troubling for us specifically until a few minutes ago."

"What do you mean?" Ruby tilted her head.

Weiss sat down on her bed and held up her scroll for everyone to see. "Last night, the Schnee Dust Company was attacked by the White Fang. It wasn't just a factory, though. It was the main headquarters. No one was killed, but six guards and two of the higher-up office workers were severely mauled." A grimace came to her face. "I know that this is a bad comparison, but it honestly looks like they were savaged by wild animals."

When Weiss held up her scroll and started flipping through the pictures on it, even Blake had to cringe. The workers were heavily bandaged, some looking as if large pieces of flesh were missing.

Blake averted her gaze while Yang clenched her fists and growled. "They just don't stop, do they? Release Grimm in Vale while ripping up people in Atlas! If I had their leader in my hands right now…"

"Is your father okay?" Ruby asked, quickly stopping her sister's building tirade.

At this, Weiss sighed, her brows furrowing. "He's fine, but he shouldn't be. He usually works late on Wednesdays, but he had a last-minute business meeting in a different area that night. The eight workers who were attacked had offices right near his."

"Weiss…" Ruby zoomed to Weiss's side and hugged her. "I'm sorry. That must be really scary. I don't know what I'd do if something threatened my dad!"

Weiss gently pushed her partner off, her cheeks slightly pink. "That's not the part I'm worried about. I've been getting updates throughout the day. The workers lost a great deal of blood, more than what is shown in the other pictures. The attackers…used it for this." At this, the heiress looked at Blake before holding up the scroll once more, a sickened expression on her face.

On the screen was a photograph of what looked like a storage room. Boxes had been smashed or thrown aside, leaving the white wall completely visible. Written on the wall in blood, underneath an equally-bloody symbol of an ember-like flower, were the words: "You're next!"

Blake felt her face grow pale. The symbol on the wall looked exactly like her emblem.

For a few minutes, the dorm room was quiet. The only sound was the crackling of Yang's hair as her eyes turned red. The brawler gritted her teeth before suddenly turning around and punching the wall, leaving a sizeable hole.

Blake, trying to maintain some control over her building panic, took a shuddering breath before speaking. "Does anyone know of this? Will this get out to the public?"

Weiss shook her head. "No. I only know this because the company is partially mine. Father won't let news of this get out. It wouldn't be good for the company's reputation." Her lip curled back distastefully. _I doubt he shed a tear for any of those workers…_ "And it's not like your emblem is common knowledge to anyone in Atlas. No one will know about this for a while."

"Good. No one can know about this, understand?" At the sounds of protest from her teammates, Blake held up her hand. "The White Fang has decided to pick a fight with me personally. Maybe they want all of us, or maybe they want to settle with me for leaving. Either way, telling people will only lead to my identity being revealed. Then, I'll be no good to anyone." She stood up. "I'm going to seek them out by myself. I won't ask any of you to come with-"

"I'm gonna stop you right there," Yang interrupted, placing a hand on Blake's shoulder. Her brief discussion with the wall had calmed her down enough to allow her to make words. "You're a part of this team, and we're in this together. How many times do we have to tell you? Whatever happens, we're here for you."

"Yeah!" Ruby pumped her fist. "Anyone who threatens my team will get a taste of Crescent Rose! HYA!" She started doing bad karate chops while zipping around the dorm, leaving red rose petals behind.

"Still," Weiss murmured. "It would probably be best to keep this quiet. If this gets out, people will panic. Also, Sun will probably never let you out of his sight." At this, a slight smirk came to her face.

Blake's face turned bright red. "Th-That's not a factor, okay? We need to think about what to do next."

"Normally, I'd be against seeking them out. However, they may hurt other people on their way to find us if we don't go after them first." Weiss glared at Ruby, effectively stopping her leader's terrible attempts at mimicking martial arts.

"Ooh! We could check the Schnee Dust shipping schedules you downloaded at the beginning of the semester," Ruby suggested. "And Yang could ask that Junior guy if he knows anything."

"Good idea. I'd try to scope out a White Fang meeting, but it's probably best if I stay out of the way for now." Blake breathed a sigh. "Let's hope that this little adventure won't end with a city full of monsters."

"Yeah…" Yang nodded slowly, a grin spreading across her face. "That would be…"

"Yang!"

"Don't you dare!"

"I swear, if you-"

"A GRIMM prospect!" Yang burst out laughing while her teammates simultaneously groaned and began relentlessly pelting her with school supplies.

**For those who don't know, I've decided to write Ren as being mute in all of my stories for the foreseeable future. It's my way of acknowledging Monty's passing while also showing that his presence remains (because I refuse to believe that RoosterTeeth will kill Ren). I'll try to get another chapter out soon. Please review! I do love reviews.**

**Praise Monty and peace out!**


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